Where Have I Gone? Where is Bunky?

Greetings All!

"Where have you been for the last week", you ask?
In transistion.  I moved to a new apartment in New Jersey that overlooks the Tacony Palmyra Bridge. 
I am truly grateful to have this ------->
as my view everytime I sit down to play the piano
and record.

 
So what have I been up to over the last week and a half?
Hmm, that's a great question...If you watched the video titled "The Breaks" from a few weeks ago, you'd know that I've been going through some financial crisises.  Thanks to my friends and the business that I've started up selling video games, the "Save PIkachu" movement has succeeded.  I thank everyone who supported me during this time of crisis.  You are truly my Princesses and Princes.  Thank you!

Music -

In the new apartment I moved into, the internet access is scarce.  My MacBook Pro is currently not connected to the internet, so I have been posting from public internet servers where available. 

I have been spending a lot of time in the city, connecting with other musicians and performers to feel out where I might be able to put my hands in.  I have always loved music, and now that I'm in a more metropolitan area (Philadelphia, Camden, etc), the opportunities that have been presenting themselves to me are out of this world.

I am happy to report that I have been writing music non-stop.  With a large river as my inspiration, the "Sologram" album is shaping up to be a personal masterpiece, I am very proud of my work!  :)


New tracks will be posted when they become available!  :)

Videos -

Thanks to an old friend of mine, named Cameron, I have a very nice, handy Q2 HD Video Recorder.  I have been using it to capture all kinds of videos over the last few weeks.

Life in General -

To everyone who has supported and loved me: I want you to know that I love and support you back.  I am going to visit my mother's side of the family tonight and spend some quality time with them. 

I want to report in to the blogging world to let anyone who is listening that I am very busy letting the universe speak to me and recording it's intention. 

Toodle-o for now,
Christopher Strawley

The Perpetual Breaks

Non-stop craziness.
I feel like a marionette being pulled in a million directions by my weathered strings

I am in a Verizon store right now posting this as my new roommate activates her old cell phone since her new "incredible droid" phone got the blue screen of death.

I want nothing more than to appease everyone and its breaking me into pieces, like shattered glass.

The universe is the only thing keeping me sane

- March 15, 2013 - The Love of "Others' and Mothers"

Okay, so this is a rolling blogspot update.  I took a few pictures and wanted to put them up on the page.


My "Bunky" kitty cat has been such a good girl in my current habitation.
She is indeed a cat of many mysteries and spiritual truths.
Perhaps she does not know it, but she has a 6th sense of some kind.
Bunky has become, but a guardian angel.  But only so to speak.

Writing a Song to my Friends

There are so many people in my life that I'm grateful to.  Namely, my long friend, Dan C.  

Also, I have an internet/social media buddy named Shannon.  She frequents this page and is quite an awesome personality.  She shimmers, if only through the binary code of a cell phone's inbound text message!

I'm working on a song to make sure that the people who matter to me don't go unnoticed or under appreciated.    I'm working on an old Video Game Music Concept I had a few months ago, and am turning it into a full track with vocals, processed through Ableton. 

It is currently 2:46 am, and I am still on the prowl.  Fighting with fair weapons, and enjoying life.  

Just as I was before.  :)

Stay Tuned!

After, many a cigarette, I will return to you, "oh, computer man" to deposit my works.  

The online database is so conducive to a coming of age with technology.  Being born in 1989, my technical skills (while proficient) are not compliant with many of the more happenings in electronic dealings.  I have the ability to learn, and I'm always eager to learn, too!

Ok, stop by later to hear the finished product about my friends.  

PS

Love you all!  Your words inspire me and inspire me to work to higher grounds!

The Breaks

GarageBand on the iPad

Who would have known? An easy to use DAW on the iPad!

A friend of mine named Dan Casner recently bought a new iPad with his well-deserved annual work bonus.

A gracious friend as he is, he purchased the GarageBand app just so I would be able to play within.
After a few bumbling around and a few drinks, this is my first accomplishment on the iPad.

Check it out here:


 A small and un-arranged track, dedicated to a friend of the same name.

Greetings, Loyal Friends and Strangers Alike!

The time has come indeed.

I finally brought home my new 2008 Toyota Yaris S Sedan.  It is a nice, spacious car.  If there was anyone who was able to put getting a new car together for himself, it's me, and I'm proud of that.

It seems as though, the tides are turning.  With independence comes responsibility.  I have a responsibly to myself to do what's best for me.  It may sound closed-minded and selfish, but it's important to me.
I learned that boundaries are important, and I think it's time that I may have to put some up for myself.
I will no longer be settling for less than what I deserve, and I am happy to proclaim that.

There are many people that I love, and many people that I will never forget.  Namely, my Mother and Father.  Also, my brother, Thomas Strawley.  My family comes first.  When it comes to making big decisions, they are the first people that I will turn to.

I will admit, however, that I kept the purchase of my new car from my father.  For, I worry that he may be concerned with my ability to stay on top of it....However, I feel, in my heart, that I have matured to the point, where I know my limits AND I know my boundaries.  I love my family dearly.

The music has been spilling out of my soul these last few weeks and I think I know why.
My mind and my heart have come to an apex.  I have matured and I have grown far from the destitution  of addiction and its accompanying folly.  I have lost many a friend and now, stronger, I am going to face the world head on, as I was intended.

I have not turned my back on those who love me.  Oh, no.  Rather, I have made it a point to become serious about who I am as a person and what I am willing to tolerate.  It has come time that my reaping is in line with what I have sown.  Time and life is precious, and I choose not to turn away from that which is important to my soul.

I am returning home to the house I grew up in today...to speak with my Mother and figure out my plan from here.  Nothing is set in stone nor thoroughly determined.  As a survivor of tragedy, I must make the most of each instant.  I will take charge of my life.  I will become what I was destined to become.
These are the things that I believe of myself:

• I am a strong individual, with high values
• I will not turn my back on myself, to return to the pits from whence I came
• My boundaries must remain intimate and unadulterated
• I will continue my success and be a happy individual

I don't know if there really is anyone who is reading my page.  However, I feel comfortable sharing this information with you, because I know that you are people who I trust.  

I thank you for your continued perseverance in watching this dream of mine come to fruition.

Hang tight, dear Comrades.  This battle is not yet over, and we have not yet seen the outcome of this life of ours.  

You are all loved by me, and me by you.  For that, I am ever grateful.  

As I pack the last of my things and prepare my cat emotionally for the temporary transference of residence, I ask for your continued love and support.  Whatever higher power may be out there, continually looking out for me.  I ask for your aid.  

-Christopher Strawley

Video Game Music Time!

Ok, so I want to put my rough drafts up here from my Video Game Music Practices over the last week.

It's a little sketchy, but I love these tunes, and don't want to forget about them!

SO herrrrrre ya go!

Okay, so hello mister internet log...

I haven't really been journaling in my book as it is now on the paper/document holder on my desk, for easy transcribing to update the blog. 
I'm having a quick cigarette in between practicing this, crazily hard, "Castlevania: Bloodlines" piano rearrangement.  Another difficult task was to get the Line/level mixer working correctly so that it can record in tandem with the Q2 HD Zoom video recorder. 

I use a XENYXUSB1204 mixer currently, and I had to push buttons a LOT before I could get it recording my piano in audacity.  But, by George, it worked!  When I finally got everything all put together correctly on the mixer, I took a note of what buttons were pushed down, which weren't, etc.  I posted that note to the bottom of the mixer, so in case I get confused in the future, I'll always have some kind of record of what it looked like this time, when I got it to work.

Furthermore, I want to say that "Castlevania: Bloodlines" employs difficult gameplay and DIFFICULT freaking music.  The patterns are so excellent.  I've been pouring over them throughout gameplay and am absolutely ecstatic about my rearrangements.  Mixing all the MIDI instruments of the Sega Genesis down to just one piano and two hands, is quite a task.

What else in the world is going on?  Ah yes, I'm working on the "Desperate Sweet Nothings" box set plus DVD.  That a lot of the preparation that I'm doing with the "Castlevania" music.  It really is quite nice, getting my hands covered in paint, and having fun with "Towers of Bunnies".  I went to CVS and bought some plastic bunnies for a shoot I want to do for the song "oz".  It seems pretty...mayvbe kind of promising.  The original idea was to sketch a bunny, scan it on to my computer and animate it further in photoshop.  Well, "Tower of Bunnies" to the rescue.

It's about 12:40 AM, and I am quite excited about my car purchase.  I can't wait to drive it again.
When I went on my test drive, and signed all the paperwork, I left the "Sologram" CD in the car, so that I would go back for it.  I most definitely will.  It's going to be so sweet.  Hopping into my car for the first time, and automatically hearing some of my most greatest, and latest tracks, bumpin out the sound system.  So cool.  I really think this is going to be really great. INDEPENDENCE BABY.

Ok, my cell phone is chirping, so it's time to roll.  Peace out Internet LOG>?>>?end

"Saltare ut Musicam Dungeon Remix"

As promised, I am following up with a rough draft of the remix of Splitzero's "Saltare ut Musicam"

This track was a lot of fun to remix.  This is just a short example of the direction I'd like to go with the remix, but I think it's a pretty solid foundation.  Enjoy!




And of course, here is the original song again by Splitzero:




Thanks again to all my readers!

Split/Zero Remix and more from Ben L.

Another great one by Ben L. of Splitzero

I'm hard at work, remixing SplitZero's "Saltare ut Musicum".

I came outside for a brief cigarette break and listened to another one of Splitzero's great tracks:

"Chicane - What The Hell Am I Doing Here Pt. 1 and 2 (Split Zero Lazy Noon' Remix)"

Have a listen here:

Winter MP3 Song Demo

Winter MP3

While I was digging around some of my old "GarageBand" files, I came across this little uncompleted track.  I took some of the melodies and recorded them with new instruments in Ableton and this is what I have to show for it so far:

First Recording using Zoom Q2HD

...and it's a Final Fantasy Song

Basically, I took some of the resources I had and tried to mesh them all together to capture a line level keyboard sample of the town music from "Final Fantasy II".

I first became interested in this song when I recently purchased the Final Fantasy II SNES cartridge.

The label is a little ripped on the top (it looks more like an n64 game now), but the game is still great.

And so is the music.  I wasn't able to get past the first mountain before a million other great games came my way and distracted me from this classic game.  But the music stuck with me.  So, here's a short clip. The sound is terrible, but I want to put this here so that I can remember where I started when I look back in some amount of time.  Thanks again ya'll!  

Castlevania: Bloodlines

I Love my Local "Play-N-Trade"

I stopped over at my usual retro video game supply this afternoon and picked up some GREAT classic games!

Castlevania: Bloodlines (Sega Genesis)

This game is totally new to me.

I've seen it.  I've read about.  I've drooled over it.

The only thing I've yet to do is play it.

As I'm writing this post, it's on in the background, rolling through the credit and intro video.

 

"The ancestors of the Belmont Family are doomed to confront the power of evil incarnate...Dracula."

"In 1917, a countess sought to revive the long dead spirit of the vampire, Dracula.  Her name was Elizabeth Bartley."

"To revive him she needed to travel all over europe,, enlisting help fromm the powers of darkness."

"Two young vampires hunters set out to fulfill their destiny... to push back the evil hordes and drive the vampire back into the underworld."

After a few hours of play-through with this game and only 3 total password acquisitions, I have determined this, regarding "Bloodlines".  In the on-going tradition of "Castlevania" games, "Bloodlines" is both tough and fair. 
The controls are awesome in this game.  Choose from two characters who both move around like rock stars.  Walking up staircases feels like a romp on the "StairMaster" at the gym.  The whip and the spear work well too.  Borrowing from "Super Castlevania IV"'s multi-directional attack, although it is a little dumbed down, as you have to be jumping in order to aim your shot. 

Castlevania and Super Game Boy

The original "Castlevania" game for the NES is another unforgettable classic.  It's where the fascination started for many a "Castlevania" fan.  Extreme difficulty and level design like no other game before it.  

I am extrememly pleased to have picked it up again.  It will not be until after I finish "Bloodlines", however, that I will boot this baby up and give it a go.

The "Super Game Boy" is another relic of the retro age. 

Seeing as I have a few "Pokemon" games to play, I'm excited to hook this up to the 60" flat screen and see Pokemon as never before.

Quite an exciting pickup for this weekend.  I am going to have my hands quite full.

I will report back and give status updates on these games as they come.  Can't wait to review these games further!

"Black Moth Super Rainbow - Cobra Juicy" Fan Art

I love "Black Moth Super Rainbow"

I went to Wal-Mart and bought a nice little craft set for $15 today.

These are the results of my first night's work.  :)

It was a lot of fun getting all of the colors together.

For the kiss mark on the face, I actually painted my lips and kissed it really quickly.  Filled in some white lines where needed, but the kiss did the job for the most part! :)

March Remix Contest!

Hello Friends and Strangers Alike!

March Remix Competition

Love making music?  Love remixing other people's work?  Love free video games?  This is the post for you then!

In March of 2013, StepDown/LiftOff will be hosting a contest for the best remix submitted before March 21st, 2013.  The three songs available for remix are "BK", "oz" and "O1, Party Fun Fun!"

The way that this is going to work, is that I will accept all remixes from potential winners.

I will post the works on the "Contest Follow Up" Page, and will ask viewers for votes on the best submission.  The winner will receive any free item from the "sdlogamesngear" eBay seller page up to $25 with free shipping.  

I'm excited to hear your contributions and can't wait to hear the winning remix!

The SD/LO Guarantee - Warranties, Repairs, and More!

Have questions about your SD/LO purchase?

Look no further!

Playstation 2 Consoles -

    The SD/LO Guarantee!

Here is a breakdown of SD/LO's Playstation 2 warranty option:

If anything goes wrong with it (disc read error, etc.), just let me know and I'll do my best to fix it for you.  I can't cover postage for a warranty fix, but I'll cover shipping back out.  I will do one (or two) repairs for you.  

Playstation 2's are pretty old, but they are pretty resilient, so I believe I can *generally* fix anything that might go wrong with it during the first 6-months to a year of your owning the console.  Rather unlikely, but I'm here to help in a worst case scenario situation.
 

If you return a Playstation 2 to me for a warranty fix, the warranty sticker (if still intact when the system is bought and returned for repair) must still remain intact.  When returned, there will be a new sticker in its place, however, it will not be an official Sony repair.  It's an SD/LO repair and it's faster than Sony.  Plus you get to chat with me for status updates and such.  :)

Playstation 2 warranties run: $6 for 6 months and $10 for a year